Strapping machine



April 1964 P. w. FAWCETT ETAL 3,129,655

STRAPPING MACHINE Filed Jan. 3, 1962 I5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS.

April 1964 P. w. FAWCETT ETAL 3,129,555

STRAPPING MACHINE Filed Jan. 3, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 1964 P. w. FAWCETT ETAL 2 STRAPPING MACHINE Filed Jan. 5, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 M kw? A mu--- illll Q NN MM Qfi Nm Q mm w mm 8 It I u M, u

United States Patent 3,129,655 TRAPE ENG MACHINE.

Paul W. Fawcett, Western Springs, and David Alifree, Blue Island, iii, assignors to Acme Steel Company, Chicago, flit, a corporation of Iilinois Filed San. 3, 1962, Ser. No. 164,061 9 Qlaims. (#31. 100-18) This invention relates to the art of strapping and particularly to an improved means for applying straps about palletized loads.

With the increase in labor costs and the resulting trend toward mechanization and assembly line techniques, the tendency has been to provide strapping mechanisms adapted to the swiftness and other advantages of the mechanized assembly line. A common manner of packaging is to stack an object or objects on pallet supports and secure straps around each stack and its pallet support to provide a unitized pallet supported load. To make use of the assembly line technique with the palletized stacks moving along conveyor means to a strapping station, an arrangement is provided whereby the leading end lengths or the binder straps are suspended vertically downward from guide tubes with their leading ends held in temporary gripping devices. As a palletized stack is moved forward on the conveyor means toward the strapping station, it contacts the suspended straps and deflects them into loops with wrapping contact around the bottom of the pallet and the forward and upper surfaces of the stack, thereby providing a wrap of the strap around three sides of the stack. At that time, the leading ends of the straps are withdrawn from the temporary gripping devices and brought into overlapping engagement with the supply ends of the strap along the rear or fourth surface of the stack where ordinary strapping tools are used to tension the strap loops onto the stack and unite the overlapping strap ends.

This loop type wrapping of the palletized stack or load has the advantage of allowing the straps to be applied to the package longitudinally of the direction of the conveyor which is otherwise diflicult to achieve on a conveyor system. One way this difiiculty has been met is by applying the transverse straps first and then rotating the package through ninety degrees and applying the longitudinal straps as transverse straps. This has the objection that, when the package is one which is being held in a compression device such as a baler, the compression must be released before the package can be rotated. Experience has shown that, unless all of the straps are applied during the same compression stroke, it is almost impossible to obtain uniform tension of the applied straps and this often results in straps which can be loose enough to fall off the package during shipment and handling.

This assembly line technique has proven to be well adapted to palletized stacks requiring that the straps pass beneath the pallets when applied to the stacks. However, when it is desired to use this assembly line technique to the use of double faced pallets where the straps are passed between the faces of the pallet during the strap application, apparatus as shown in U.S. Patent 2,977,872, issued April 4, 1961 to David Allfree, has been found to be effective. The apparatus there shown consists of a tine or fork having a wire gripper at its leading end for holding the strap end suspended vertically from a guide tube. Upon movement of a palletized load along a conveyor where the tine or fork is positioned, the time passes between the faces of the pallet supporting the load to thereby cause the strap to be fed between the pallet faces. The strap end is then removed from the tine and brought up and fastened to the supply end of the strap in a closed loop about the object and the upper face of the pallet. The tine is supported on a retractable frame which is guided to be withdrawn so ice that the tine is removed from between the faces of the pallet to allow the pallet to continue to travel along the conveyor past the strapping station. The disadvantage of this arrangement is that the operator must manually retract the tine each time a strapping operation is completed. It is the principal object of this invention to provide an improved tine or strap threading device which can be used in the same manner as the tine mentioned for passing a strap between the faces of a two-faced pallet, but which does not have to be retracted in order to allow passage of the strapped palletized load past the strapping station.

The manner of accomplishing this is to provide a tine or strap threading device which can be positioned on the conveyor and provided with latch devices which are used to detachably engage the support members of the conveyor and which are provided with means for causing the pallet itself to actuate the tine or strap threader to cause it to alternately engage and disengage difierent parts of the support members of the conveyor and thereby allow free passage of the palletized load past the strapping station.

It is another object of the invention to provide such an improved tine or strap threader which is adjustable so that it can be adapted to differently spaced conveyor supporting members, including the rollers of a conveyor.

It is still another object of the invention to provide such an improved tine or strap threader which can be readily removed from the conveyor when it is not desired to use it.

It is another object to provide an improved tine or strap threader which is not positively fastened to the conveyor so that it is removable and positioning can be performed without the use of any tools.

It is another object of the invention to provide such an improved tine or threading device which can be positioned with others at spaced regions from each other without any problem because each tine is in no way connected to another. The number of tines used is merely dependent upon the number of straps to be applied, there being one strap applied for each tine employed.

Other objects and advantages of the invention should become apparent by referring to the accompanying drawings in which FIG, 1 shows a perspective view of apparatus including a bale press and a conveyor at a strapping station embodying the improvements of this invention;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a single tine or strap threader embodying the invention;

FIG. 3 shows an enlarged top plan view, partially cutaway, of the tine or threader shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows a sectional View in side elevation along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 4a shows a partial view similar to FIG. 4, but with a latch shown engaging a conveyor roller rather than a vertical member; and

FIGS. 5 to 8 somewhat schematically show a front elevation of the apparatus of FIG. 1 and the sequence of applying binder straps to a palletized load in a direction longitudinally of the conveyor at the strapping station by the use of the improved apparatus of the invention.

As particularly shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus in which the invention is shown embodied consists of a roller type conveyor 1 in which are journalled a plurality of rollers 2 on which a palletized load 3 can be easily transported 1ongitudinally in the direction of the conveyor. The conveyor 1 is divided into an entrance length 1a, a strapping station length 1b and an exit length 10. The load 3 is normally transported from the entrance length 1a to the strapping station 1b where binder straps are applied to it and then on to the exit length 10 from where it is taken for shipment or other subsequent handling.

The strapping station length 1b is positioned at the strapping station, generally designated at 4. At this strapping station 4 is positioned a bale press type machine "h is which is provided with two vertical supports 6 and 7 for supporting a pressure platen 8 which is guided for vertical movement along the two vertical support members 6 and 7. The vertical support members 7 are secured apart from each other by a horizontal member 9 secured at their upper ends. The lower ends of these vertical members 6 and 7 are secured to two members 10 and 11 which extend transversely below the conveyor length 1b and act as supports or parts of the conveyor. Two cylinders 12 and 13 are mounted between the vertical supports 6 and 7 with their lower ends fixed relative to the base members 10 and 11. The upper ends of these cylinders 12 and 13 are provided with piston rods 14 and 15 extending therefrom and which are connected to a header 16 which is an integral part of the pressure platen 8. The cylinders 12 and 13 are of a type which can be actuated either by air or fluid to cause the piston rods 14 and 15 to simultaneously extend or retract in order to raise or lower platen 8 vertically along the vertical supports 6 and 7.

On one sidewall 17 of the pressure platen 8 is secured a plate 18 extending outwardly therefrom. This plate is provided with two openings in which two guide tubes 19 and 20 are secured. These guide tubes 19 and 20 are generally U-shaped and guide binder straps 21 and 22 in a path leading from other guide tubes 23 and 24, which are supported on an arm 25 secured to the vertical upright 6. These guide tubes 23 and 24 in turn guide the straps 21 and 22 from supply coils 26 and 27 of binder strap mounted on coil holders 28. These coil holders 28 are of a conventional type which allow the strap to be drawn off of the coils 26 and 27 by merely pulling on the leading ends of the straps.

The leading ends of the straps 21 and 22 emerge from the forward ends 19a and Ztla of the guide tubes 19 and 20 where they extend vertically downward to the region of the upper level of the conveyor rollers 2 in the path of a palletized load 3 which would be transported in the direction of the arrow 2% on the conveyor 1. The extreme ends 21a and 22a of the straps 21 and 22 are ordinarily held by means of a gripper 30 in each of two tines or strap threaders 31.

These tines or strap threaders 31 are shown best in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. Each one consists of two parallel rods 32 and 33 held in spaced apart relation by means of plates 34, 35, 36 and 37. The plates 34 and 35 are clamped together by means of screws 38 while the plates 36 and 37 are clamped together by means of screws 39. With the plates clamped together, they provide openings 40, 41, 42 and 43 through which the rods 32 and 33 pass. These openings are made small enough that a clamping action occurs of the plates against the rods 32 and 33 when the screws 38 and 39 are tightened. Another set of plates 44- and 45 of a similar type are provided adjacent the ordinary region of the plates 34 and 35 and these plates are clamped to the rods 32 and 33 in a similar manner by screws 46. These plates also clamp the ends of a U-shaped camrning bar 47 which provides the leading end of the tine 31. It is bent upwardly away from the plane of the plates and the rods 32 and 33 so that it can cam against the bottom surface of a pallet when the tine is positioned on a conveyor as shown in PEG. 1.

The two plates 34 and 35 are both Li -shaped to provide a recess 48 into which is passed the inner end 49 of a latch 5%. The end 4h of thelatch is journalled on a pin 51 secured between the plates 34 and 35 and another pin 52 is positioned between the plates to limit the rotation of the latch in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 4 where the latch 59 is shown in its extreme clockwise position. The latch 50 is free to rotate in a counterclockwise direction for a substantial are limited only by its contact with the plate 34.

The two plates 36 and 37 are likewise of U-shape to provide a recess 53 into which fits the inner end 54 of another latch 55. This inner end 54 is pivoted on a pin 56 mounted between the plates 36 and 37 and another pin 57 t limits the clockwise rotation of the latch 55 in a manner identical to the pin 52 for latch 50. Similarly, the latch 55 is free to rotate in a counterclockwise direction through a substantial are limited only by its contact with the plate 36.

The plates 4-4 and 45 are also of U-shape to provide a recess 58 Late which the inner end 59 of a gripper frame 64 is positioned. The end 59 is fastened on two spaced pins 61 and 62 secured between the plates 44 and 45. It is not free to pivot. This frame supports a shaft 63 mounted on an ear 64 projecting upward from the frame 60. The shaft 63 pivotally supports the gripper 30. A spring 30a is secured around the shaft to react against the gripper and urge it against the upper surface of the frame 68. Directly behind the gripper 39 is a lever 65 pivotally mounted on a pin 66. Downward pressure of the end 6511 of this lever urges the opposite end of the lever to react against the gripper 3t and urge it away from the upper surface of the frame 68. This lever 65:: is actuated when a strap end is to be positioned or removed from under the gripper 3G. The shaft 66 also supports a roller 67 which is freely journalled on it. During positioning of a strap end for gripping by the gripper 3% the lever 65 is deflected to elevate the gripper 33. The strap end is then passed beneath the roller 67 and then between the gripper 30 and the upper surface of the plate 6%? until it strikes a stop 68. Then the lever 65 is released to allow the spring 353a to clamp the gripper 31) against the positioned strap end. When one or more strap ends are held by one or more grippers 35 they are positioned with respect to the tines or strap threaders 31 as shown in FIG. 1.

With the tines positioned on the conveyor, as shown in FIG. 1, the latch 5i) ordinarily engages the base member 10 below its upper flange 10a (FIG. 4) and the latch 55 abuts against the base member ll. However, the latches 5t) and 55 can just as well engage the rollers 2 of the conveyor as indicated in FIG. 4a. In such a case, the supports it? and 11 can be eliminated.

In operation, a load 3 is positioned on the conveyor 1 at its entrance length 1a in preparation for being strapped and all parts of the apparatus are positioned as shown in FIG. 1. At this time the straps 21 and 22 are guided through the guides 23 and 24, up through the guides 19 and 2t and out through their exit ends 19a and 2hr: in vertically suspended positions with their extreme ends 21a and 22a temporarily gripped by the grippers 30 of the tines 31. The tines 31 are, at this time lying on the conveyor as previously described. The platen 8 of the baling press 5 is in its elevated position caused by having extended the piston rods 14 and 15 of the cylinders 12 and 13 by proper control of fluid or air in the cylinders by conventional control means.

The sequence of operation of the apparatus can be better understood upon reference to FIGS. 5 to 8. In FIG. 5, the parts shown schematically are in the same relative positions as they are shown in FIG. 1. The load 3 consists of a compressible package having a lower container 3a provided with a cover 3b telescoped over it. The load 3 is supported on a pallet which consists of two faces 81 and 82 positioned parallel to and vertically apart from each other by means of corner posts 83 so that a space 84 exists between the two faces 81 and 82..

When it is desired to begin the strapping cycle, the load 3 is moved with its pallet 80 in the direction of the arrow 29 through a transitory path as shown in FIG. 6 until it reaches the strapping station 4 as shown in FIG. 7. During this movement, the camming bars 47 on the front ends of the tines 31 are cammed against the bottom face 82 of the pallet {it so that the face 82 passes beneath the tines 31. During this movement, the face 82 contacts the downwardly projecting portion of the latch 50 and earns it upwardly clear of the lip 10a of the support member 19 of the conveyor. This allows the face 82 to pass clear of the latch 54 until it reaches the strapping station 4. While at the strapping station 4, the tines 31 rest upon the face 82. While this camming action against the tine occurs, the other latch 55 on each tine 31 reacts against the other supporting member 11 of the conveyor 1 in order to prevent longitudinal movement of the tines along the conveyor. When moved to this position the forward face of the load 3 presses against the straps 21 and 22 and forms them into a loop of reverse C-shape. As the load 3 is moved, the forks or tines 31 are directed between the layers 31 and 82 of the pallet 88 so that the strap is directed into the space 84 beneath the face 81 of the pallet. This results in the straps 21 and 22 being in contact with the lower surface of the upper face 81 of the pallet and also in contact with the forward and upper faces of the load. When the load 3 is in this position the pressure platen 8 is lowered by actuation of the piston rods 14 and 15 of the cylinders 12 and 13. It is lowered until its lower face 86 contacts the upper surface of the load 3. The platen 8 continues downwardly by an amount suflicient to compress the cover 3b in telescoping fashion further down onto the container portion 3a of the load 3 to compress the contents of the container 3a. This movement is indicated by the arrow 88 in FIG. 7 where it is apparent that the straps 21 and 22 are provided with free movement in the grooves 5 1 and 85 even though the platen 8 is pressed against the load 3. As the load 3 is compressed, the straps 21 and 22 also bulge as shown at 2112 and 2212. This is not significant, but it occurs because the guide tubes 19 and 20 are lowered along with the pressure platen 8 because they are attached to it.

After the conditions of FIG. 7 are reached, the operator grasps the strap ends 21a, 22a, 21c and 22c after severing the ends 210 and 220 from the supply portion connected to the coils 26 and 27 and draws them around to positions as indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 7 where they are overlapped, tensioned and joined together by con ventional strapping tools which form interlocking joints 92 between the strap ends. After the joints 92 are formed, the straps are then in the form of closed strap loops encircled longitudinally about the load.

Up until the time that the strap ends 21a and 22a are removed from the forks 31, they are frictionally held therein. However, after the straps are applied in a longitudinal direction, the tines 31 are no longer needed. The load 3 is then pushed further forward along the conveyor to the exit length of the conveyor. While doing this, the bottom face 82 of the pallet cams against the latch 55 to elevate it. Meanwhile, the latch St is again dropped in place to latch against the support member it) because the pallet is beyond it. In order to permit the latch 50 to drop into latching position clear of the top surface of member 10, the latch 55 pivots through an arc to urge the entire tine 31 to shift to the left, as viewed in FIG. 4, as the free end of the latch 55 cams along the surface of the support member 11. This allows sufficient movement to permit the free end of the latch 50 to pass the lip 10a of the member 10 where it is then free to fall. As the latch 55 is cammed upwardly, the pallet is then free to move past it until it reaches the exit length 16 of the conveyor. After the pallet passes by the latch 55, the latch 55 again drops down and re-engages the support member 11. In case the free end of latch 55 is obstructed from falling by the top surface of member 11, the operator can shift the tine 31 the proper amount to permit free fall of the latch 55 past the top surface of the member 11 prior to the next strapping cycle. Fresh strap lengths 21 and 22 are again withdrawn through the guide tubes 19 and 20 and then inserted beneath the grippers 30 on the tines 31 in readiness for a new strapping cycle. It should be noted that the tines require no manipulation other than for the insertion and removal of the strap ends 21a and 22a relative to the grippers 30. This is especially important because, even though the tines 31 are, in effect, inserted between the faces 81 and 82 of the pallet, at no time is manual removal of the tines from between these faces ever required. It is reasonable that these supports 10 and 11 to be engaged by the latches 5t) and 55 can be independently supported apart from the conveyor support for the pallet, and the claims herein are to be so interpreted as to cover such a support structure.

Although not specifically described, it should be apparent that the operation is substantially identical if two rollers 2 are used to engage the latches 5t and 55 instead of the supports 10 and 11. It should also be noted that the plates 34, 35 and 36, 37 can be adjusted along the rods 32 and 33 in order to space the latches 50 and 55 to correspond to the positioning of support members 10 and 11 of the conveyor. This makes the unit adaptable for different conveyor installations. Also, once the adjustments are made for this spacing, the tines are merely placed upon the conveyor extending in a longitudinal direction without any fastening of the tines to the conveyor or other portions of the apparatus. For this reason, adjustment or servicing of the tines is extremely simple because they need only be picked up and moved to a convenient work location.

In addition to the application of the straps 21 and 22 around the load 3 in a longitudinal direction, a transverse strap 8 (FIG. 1) can be applied around the load while it is positioned at the strapping station 4. This strap 89 extends above the load and can be applied through the groove 87 of the platen 8, around the rear of the load and beneath the upper face 81 of the pallet. The two overlapping ends of the strap loop thereby provided can be tensioned and terminated by a sealed joint on the forward face of the load. The application of this transverse strap 89 can be made entirely by hand by directing the strap from one side of the load to the other to form the loop around it, or else a separate strap guide (not shown) can be inserted in the apparatus for applying this strap. Whether auxiliary apparatus is used or application of the strap is entirely by hand, is immaterial to this invention. The important aspect is that this transverse strap 89, or as many others as are required, can be applied while the pressure platen 8 remains in its compressed position during which the longitudinal strap loops from the straps 21 and 22 have been previously applied.

Although only a single embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it should be clearly understood that the invention can be made in many different ways without departing from the true scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

We claim:

1. Strapping apparatus for encircling a flexible strap around a load supported on a pallet of a type having two parallel faces provided with a space therebetween comprising, support means at a strapping station, strap guide means for directing a strap downwardly in a suspended substantially vertical position at the strapping station in the path of said pallet, a time being positioned to extend above the level of the support means and approximately parallel to it, said tine being provided with gripping means for temporarily gripping the leading end of a strap suspended from the strap guide means so that movement of the pallet toward the suspended strap causes the tine and the strap end it grips to be inserted into the space between the two parallel faces of the pallet and causes the strap to bulge in the direction of movement of the pallet and be wrapped along the bottom of the upper face of the pallet and the forward and upper surfaces of the load supported on the pallet, said tine having a first latch and a second latch each latch having a portion releasably engaging thesupport means at one of two regions spaced apart from each other along the direction of the path of travel of the pallet along the support means in order to prevent longitudinal displacement of the tine in said direction as the pallet is moved to cause insertion of the 7 tine into the space between the two parallel faces of the pallet.

2. Strapping apparatus for encircling a flexible strap around a load supported on a pallet of a type having two parallel faces provided with a space therebetween comprising, support means at a strapping station, strap guide means for directing a strap downwardly in a sus pended substantially vertical position at the strapping station in the path of said pallet, a tine positioned on the support means and extending approximately parallel to it, said tine being provided with gripping means for temporarily gripping the leading end of a strap suspended from the strap guide means so that movement of the pallet toward the suspended strap causes the tine and the strap end it grips to be inserted into the space between the tWo parallel faces of the pallet and causes the strap to bulge in the direction of movement of the pallet and be wrapped along the bottom of the upper face of the pallet and the forward and upper surfaces of the load supported by the pallet, said tine being provided with a first latch and a second latch both ordinarily depending therefrom and each engaged against the support means at one of two regions spaced apart from each other in the direction of the path of travel of the pallet along the support means in order to resist longitudinal displacement of the tine in said direction as the pallet is moved to cause insertion of the tine into the space between the two parallel faces of the pallet, the latches being disengaged from the support and clear of the path of the pallet by camming of the pallet against them, the spacing relative to the length of the pallet of said latches on the tine and of the said two regions engaged by the latches being sutficient to permit disengagement from the support by the camming of the pallet of only one of the latches at a time to thereby allow the pallet to first cam against and disengage the first latch from the support means while the second latch remains engaged therewith and thereafter cam against and disengage the second latch from the support means while the first latch remains engaged therewith, thereby allowing the pallet to be moved entirely past the tine without said displacement of the tine in said direction of the path of travel of the pallet.

3. A strap threading tine for use when encircling a flexible strap around a load supported on a pallet of a type having two parallel faces provided with a space therebetween comprising, a frame, a releasable gripping means on said frame for temporarily gripping the leading end of said flexible strap, a pair of latches retractably mounted on said frame and ordinarily depending therefrom and spaced from each other by an amount necessary to permit each of the depending latches to engage separate portions of a support means provided for said pallet in the path of travel of the pallet when the tine is laid on the support means where the pallet can be used to cam against the latches and retract them clear of said support means and the path of the pallet as the pallet is moved along said support means.

4. A strap threading tine as defined by claim 3 characterized by, said latches being adjustably movable along said frame in order to adjust their spacing in accordance with the spacing of said separate portions of the support means.

5. A strap threading tine as defined by claim 3 characterized by, said frame being provided with a cam portion adjacent its region where said releasable gripping means is located, said cam portion being aligned to cause the tine to be elevated over the lower face of the pallet as the pallet is moved along the support means and caused to cam against the cam portion when the tine is on the upper surface of the support means.

6. A strap threading tine as defined by claim 3 characterized by, said frame being provided with a cam portion adjacent its region Where said releasable gripping means is located, said cam portion being aligned to cause the tine to be elevated over the lower face of the pallet as the pallet is moved along the support means and caused to cam against the cam portion when the tine is on the upper surface of the support means, said latches being adjustably movable along said frame in order to adjust their spacing in accordance with the spacing of said separate portions of the support means.

7. A strap threading tine for use when encircling a flexible strap around a load supported on a pallet of a type having two parallel faces provided with a space therebetween comprising, a frame, a releasable gripping means adjacent one end of said frame for temporarily gripping the leading end of said flexible strap, a pair of latches depending from said frame and pivotally mounted for retractable movement thereon and spaced from each other by an amount necessary to permit each of the latches to engage separate portions of a support means provided for said pallet, said latches being positioned so that when the tine is laid onto the upper surface of said support means the depending latches intersect the path of travel of the pallet where the pallet can be used to cam against the latches and pivotally retract them clear of the support means and the path of the pallet as the pallet is moved along said support means.

8. A strap threading tine for use when encircling a flexible strap around a load supported on a pallet of a type having two parallel faces provided with a space there between comprising, a frame, a releasable gripping means on said frame for temporarily gripping the leading end of said flexible strap, a latch means retractably mounted on said frame and ordinarily depending therefrom to permit it to engage a portion of a support means provided for the pallet when the tine is laid on the support means in the path of travel of the pallet where the pallet can be used to cam against the latch means and retract it clear of said portion of the support means and the path of the pallet as the pallet is moved along said support means, said latch means being adjustably movable along the frame in order to adjust its spacing relative to the releasable gripping means.

9. A strap threading tine for use when encircling a flexible strap around a load supported on a pallet of a type having two parallel faces provided with a space therebetween comprising, a frame, a releasable gripping means on said frame for temporarily gripping the leading end of said flexible strap, a latch means retractably mounted on said frame and ordinarily depending therefrom to permit it to engage a portion of a support means provided for the pallet when the tine is laid on the support means in the path of travel of the pallet where the pallet can be used to cam against the latch means and retract it clear of said portion of the support means and the path of the pallet as the pallet is moved along said support means, said frame being provided with a cam portion adjacent its rear end relative to the direction of travel of the pallet when the tine is positioned on the support means, said cam portion being aligned to cause the tine to be elevated over the lower face of the pallet as the pallet is moved along the support means and caused to cam against the cam portion when the tine is on the upper surface of the support means, said latch means being adjustably movable along the frame in order to adjust its spacing relative to the releasable gripping means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 826,761 Brown July 24, 1906 1,452,712 Seymour 2. Apr. 25, 1923 1,639,870 Valsvig Aug. 23, 1927 2,523,535 Little Sept. 26, 1950 2,977,872 Allfree Apr. 4, 1961 2,985,098 Winkler May 23, 1961 3,031,816 Mertens May 1, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 407,678 Italy Nov. 10, 1944 

1. STRAPPING APPARATUS FOR ENCIRCLING A FLEXIBLE STRAP AROUND A LOAD SUPPORTED ON A PALLET OF A TYPE HAVING TWO PARALLEL FACES PROVIDED WITH A SPACE THEREBETWEEN COMPRISING, SUPPORT MEANS AT A STRAPPING STATION, STRAP GUIDE MEANS FOR DIRECTING A STRAP DOWNWARDLY IN A SUSPENDED SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL POSITION AT THE STRAPPING STATION IN THE PATH OF SAID PALLET, A TINE BEING POSITIONED TO EXTEND ABOVE THE LEVEL OF THE SUPPORT MEANS AND APPROXIMATELY PARALLEL TO IT, SAID TINE BEING PROVIDED WITH GRIPPING MEANS FOR TEMPORARILY GRIPPING THE LEADING END OF A STRAP SUSPENDED FROM THE STRAP GUIDE MEANS SO THAT MOVEMENT OF THE PALLET TOWARD THE SUSPENDED STRAP CAUSES THE TINE AND THE STRAP END IT GRIPS TO BE INSERTED INTO THE SPACE BETWEEN THE TWO PARALLEL FACES OF THE PALLET AND CAUSES THE STRAP TO BULGE IN THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE PALLET AND BE WRAPPED ALONG THE BOTTOM OF THE UPPER FACE OF THE PALLET AND THE FORWARD AND UPPER SURFACES OF THE LOAD SUPPORTED ON THE PALLET, SAID TINE HAVING A FIRST LATCH AND A SECOND LATCH EACH LATCH HAVING A PORTION RELEASABLY ENGAGING THE SUPPORT MEANS AT ONE OF TWO REGIONS SPACED APART FROM EACH OTHER ALONG THE DIRECTION OF THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF THE PALLET ALONG THE SUPPORT MEANS IN ORDER TO PREVENT LONGITUDINAL DISPLACEMENT OF THE TINE IN SAID DIRECTION AS THE PALLET IS MOVED TO CAUSE INSERTION OF THE TINE INTO THE SPACE BETWEEN THE TWO PARALLEL FACES OF THE PALLET. 